Keep Away
by Little Gem Magnolia
Summary: Staying away from her was much harder than he expected it to be, especially when she was dead-set on taking dumb risks. Damn her cocksure lineage. Rated for language and later chapters.


**Disclaimer** : I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of the characters.

 **Summary** : Staying away from her was much harder than he expected it to be, especially when she was dead-set on taking dumb risks. Damn her cocksure lineage.

 **Author's Note** : I've had a couple of people ask me about a Cassie-romance and give me suggestions whether it be to make Cassie a lesbian or to pair her with Erron Black. The reason I haven't, or won't, is that when I have an idea, I tend to be pretty ship-monogamous and I've wanted Sub-Cassie to happen ever since I watched them interacting during the Special Forces training exercise and the idea was only cemented in my brain when I went back and watched the _Who's Next_ trailer. It's very unlikely and super crack-ish and I hadn't even planned on writing a fic for them but I saw that there was another fic here on FF that featured them as a pairing and I guess I figured that, if I wasn't the only one to think of it, then why not? Maybe someone else who saw the potential of this unlikely pair would read and enjoy it.

With that in mind, I understand if not everyone is receptive to the idea but I request that you not flame. That said, I would love any and all constructive criticisms as this is my very first time writing Sub-Zero and it may take me a while to get his character down. This, like _Parental Bond_ , will not be a cohesive story but one that's rather one-shot-ish with time skips and the like. I hope everyone enjoys and please remember to review.

 **0000**

Cassie's body tensed and she stood in front of her locker, back ramrod straight as the door to the locker room creaked open and heavy boots slowly carried their owner around the corner to her.

She didn't have to look around to see who it was; she knew. She also knew why he was there. He was angry with her, inexplicably so. She had seen it in the hard set of his jaw, the sharpness of his glaring white eyes as she and her team had been congratulated on the success of their mission. _Why_ he was angry, however, was a complete mystery to her.

When he had first come to her, offering to help her control her anger, overcome her feelings of inferiority in comparison to the rest of her family and make her into the leader she was supposed to be, she had been awestruck and flattered. She'd spent a year training with him, learning from him. She'd deferred to him and now she proudly commanded her team with the authority of a true sergeant. Thanks to his guidance she was even up for a promotion.

It was all because of him. She now considered herself a true military agent, a true Cage because of his mentoring and she really couldn't thank him enough for all he'd done for her. She just wished she'd been able to keep her distance during their time together.

It wasn't hard to fall in love with him. What woman wouldn't be tempted by a strong, handsome man who was filled to the brim with loyalty, courage, honor and a sense of duty that rivaled that of anyone she knew? It hadn't taken long at all for her to develop feelings for the enigmatic Lin Kuei grandmaster but she was very proud of how she'd handled it.

Cassie was accustomed to wanting things she'd never have. She wanted to be the best fighter around but she knew that was a pipe dream. She wanted to surpass her mother's military standing but, once again, she knew that was near unattainable. She wanted her parents to get back together but she had no power over that decision. She wanted to be able to save the world but she knew that no matter how many evils she battled, there would always be another one in line to take the previous one's place.

So it had come as no surprise to her when her gut had begun to tighten at the mere thought of Kuai Liang or when her breath had started to quicken anytime he came too close or even when her heart skipped every time he sent her that attractive little half-smile. She hadn't done anything about it, though. She had simply set her shoulders, squashed those feelings and learned everything there was for him to teach her.

Until the day when he had begun to reciprocate her feelings, that is.

It had started innocently enough, as most things do. Their eyes would linger on each other's a tad too long, he would initiate physical contact when it wasn't absolutely necessary, their talks became more personal, their sparring more fun. She honestly didn't know how she'd caught the attention of this wonderful man but it was definitely something to be treasured because she never knew when it would go away. She was just a kid compared to him. She was an army brat and he was the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei.

She had absolutely nothing to offer him.

Her constant doubts and questions had made his abrupt turnabout a bit easier to deal with in one way but in another it only added to her feelings of inadequacy. She _knew_ it was coming, knew she should expect it and when it actually happened it only reaffirmed what she already knew.

She would never be good enough.

It had been the best night of her life and as she caught sight of him behind her in the reflection of the small mirror on her locker door, her heart ached. Apparently that feeling wasn't mutual. Even now, months later, she just felt foolish. He'd wormed his way into her life, gotten her to open up about her family, her feelings, her thoughts, her fears and she'd let it happen, powerless to stop him.

"Cassandra." His rumbling, gravely husk gave nothing away, no insight as to what was on his mind.

Her eyes roamed his reflection in the mirror, his expression solid and unchanging like stone. She swallowed roughly, gaze meeting his. "Grandmaster," she began, priding herself on sounding much calmer than she actually felt. "What brings you to the ladies locker room?"

His brows twitched and a little line appeared in the middle of his forehead but other than that his countenance showed no signs of change. "You escorted Kano to his new prison."

Cassie nodded and shrugged out of the arms of her uniform. Rolling it to her hips and stepping out of it, she sniffed and winced at the smell before stuffing it into her duffle bag. She would need to wash it _very_ thoroughly before her next mission. "He is now in a maximum security holding cell where he will await trial for his crimes against Earthrealm."

Her words were insanely generic and well rehearsed and he idly wondered how many times she'd heard similar statements repeated before, during and after her mission.

"You turned down my help."

She rolled her eyes at his short, obvious observations and, without thinking, turned to him. "Stop," she demanded in an agitated tone. "Just stop beating around the bush. If you've got something to say, say it and leave. I don't have time to sit around decoding your monotonous account of things I already know. I was there; I don't need you to tell me what happened."

His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a pretty nasty gash along her jaw line and took a step toward her but he stopped when she moved back in response. "Why did you turn down my help?"

"Because I didn't need it." She shrugged and turned back to her locker, pulling out a pair of jeans and sliding them on over the shorts she wore under her uniform.

He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a scoff but with him it was hard to be sure. "Looks like you did."

Blue eyes hardened and she threw a glare in his direction as she finished buttoning her jeans and blindly reached for her jacket. "Looks can be deceiving," she bit back, pulling the jacket on over her wife beater and slamming her locker shut. "I was briefed on the particulars of the mission, assessed the situation and decided we did not require the Lin Kuei's help." Her tone was just this side of robotic and his eyes narrowed even further.

"You decided?" He laughed bitterly. "You would put your team in danger to preserve your pride?"

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she straightened to her full height, which still only brought her to his chin. "My pride has nothing to do with this," she denied with a sneer.

"Doesn't it?" he wondered airily, clasping his hands behind his back. "You would rather face defeat at the hands of Kano, who would have most certainly eliminated you had he gotten free, than accept the help of my clan, all because of what transpired between us."

Her teeth noisily ground together at his casual tone. "I would never jeopardize the lives of my teammates over something so inconsequential." Her tone left no room for argument as she took a step toward him, rising to his challenge. "Know this: I will gladly accept the Lin Kuei's help when it's called for but there will never again be a time when you must condescend yourself to leave your temple and work with my team." She then moved to leave, avoiding him as though he had the plague. "Help from allies is always welcome but we are not children and we do not need a babysitter."

"It was never my intention to babysit," he called out, turning to watch her retreat. "Merely to protect and teach."

She stopped in her tracks, shaking her head. "Protect? Teach? You sure as hell have a funny way of showing it, _grandmaster_. Go back to your students," she advised tiredly. "Go back to those who still worship the ground you walk on."

She walked away from him with a huff and he took a moment to consider his options, calculate the risks and advantages before going after her. It took no time at all for him to catch up to her and he could only assume it was because she wasn't expecting him to follow her.

It took her a moment to sense his presence but when she did she immediately halted her stride, swinging around to look at him with a frown. "What do you think you're doing?" she grit out through clenched teeth, eyes darting around to see just how much attention they'd attracted.

"I never knew you worshipped the ground I walked on," he began smugly, ignoring the stares of her peers.

Her face turned an attractive shade of red. "I don't."

"But you did," he presumed as she flashed a passerby an uncomfortable smile before returning furious eyes to him.

"You lied to me."

It wasn't a question, she believed it to be true with a hundred percent certainty and he cocked a brow at her confidence. "I did?"

She sighed and ran a frustrated hand through her hair, readjusting the bag on her shoulder with rushed, jerky movements. "All that bullshit about living in your brother's shadow, that you knew how I felt, wanting to make me a better leader," she accused in an enraged whisper. "If you just wanted a one night stand, all you had to do was say so."

Agitation crept into his expression and his eyes almost seem to glow, the outlines of his pupils disappearing into solid white. "I never lied. What happened was an error on my part, _I_ am at fault. It has nothing to do with you."

A jaded laugh escaped her as she turned away from him, continuing on her way. "Funny, I distinctly remember you taking me along for the ride."

"Cassandra," he hissed in an attempt to call her back without alerting everyone at the base to their argument.

She never stopped, never looked back, content to ignore him until he got the message and left her alone.

He tried again to no avail. "Cassandra," he finally bellowed, drawing the attention of everyone in their general vicinity.

She turned slowly, eyes ablaze with tightly leashed anger, borne of the embarrassment he was causing her. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had to live with her own foolish actions and desires, now the entire base was about to know what an idiot she was. "You fooled me, you won," she conceded, throwing her hands in the air, defeated. "This conversation is over."

"Not yet," he challenged, grabbing her arm and dragging her into an empty hallway. "I think there are two sides to this story and you're about to hear mine."

She pulled her arm away from him as though burned by his touch. "And if I refuse?"

"You can consider it an order if that makes you feel better," he ground out, backing her against the wall. "I never lied to you. I saw myself in you and I wanted to help you," he began, leveling her with serious eyes. Placing a hand under her chin to maintain eye contact when she would have looked away, he continued. "Living in someone else's shadow, no matter how much you love the person, breeds anger and resentment. It took me decades to become who I was originally supposed to be because I was too busy carrying out a legacy that wasn't mine. I did not want that for you."

She stubbornly rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide the feelings he was invoking in her.

"You cannot be someone else. You cannot live up to someone else's standards. You have to make your own way; I wanted to teach you that. I saw every feeling, every doubt I have ever experienced in your eyes the first time I saw you with your mother and I knew that I could help you. I wanted to help you. I think I did help you." His voice spoke nothing but confidence, like he was completely sure that he had indeed done what he set out to do but his eyes were unsure. His eyes begged her to confirm it, to let him know that he hadn't failed her. "I never expected to develop feelings for you and I never wanted to take advantage of you. For that I apologize. I take full responsibility for my actions."

Her eyes narrowed and she jerked out of his grip, sliding along the wall to get away from him. "I'm a grown woman," she informed, her strong tone in stark contrast to the fragile way she crept away from him. "There was no exploitation, it was a decision between two consenting _adults_ and if you think otherwise, even for one second, then there's absolutely no reason to continue this conversation."

She turned, preparing to finally escape him but he was suddenly in front of her. "No matter how we feel about each other, what we started cannot continue," he asserted, hands unconsciously fisting by his sides. "Your parents-"

Her fist met with his jaw before he had the chance to continue. "My parents? You didn't fuck and then just abandon _them_ ; you fucked me. They have nothing to do with this so don't put this off on them. This is all on you."

 **0000**

 _Please review._


End file.
